Summary
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Extract
The two kingdoms doctrine and the relationship of church and state in the early Reformed tradition.
A transformationist paradigm largely dominates contemporary Reformed social thought. This version of transformationism, sometimes referred to as neo-Calvinism, posits a creation-fall-redemption motif, emphasizing that God created all things, all things fell into sin, and now God is redeeming all things in Christ. A central aspect of this vision is that the kingdom of God extended to every aspect of life in the original creation and that this kingdom is being restored in the present age in each of these aspects, including the work of the civil state. christians, therefore, ought to see all of their activities as kingdom work and must seek to transform all areas of life in ways consistent with this vision, anticipating the final renewal of all things at the end of history. (1)
Though many advocates of the transformationist view suggest they are following the lead of John Calvin and the Reformation, Calvin in fact offered a different theological foundation for thinking about social and cultural issues through his doctrine of the two kingdoms. By means of this doctrine, Calvin distinguished clearly between Christ's redemptive rule in the spiritual kingdom, experienced now in the church, and God's providential rule in the civil kingdom, comprising the state and various areas of life outside of the church. Contemporary Reformed transformationists recognize the importance of a theology of the kingdom of God for their vision, but affirming one (redemptive) kingdom that extends to all human activities and institutions presents a decidedly different vision from Calvin's kingdom theology. (2) The present essay presupposses this conclusion and argues that significant theologians and ecclesiastical confessions of the age of Reformed orthodoxy in many ways preserved and developed Calvin's doctrine of the two kingdoms. This claim, in turn, entails that the project of contemporary Reformed transformationists rests upon a theology of the kingdom different not only from Calvin, but also from much of mainstream Reformed thought through its first two centuries. Evidence will suggest that Calvin's two kingdoms doctrine was fundamental and foundational for the early Reformed tradition's articulation of the distinction between and relationship of church and state. In summary, therefore, it is argued that the two kingdoms doctrine, contrary to common perceptions, is not simply a Lutheran idea but also a historic tenet of the Reformed tradition, and one with concrete practical implications. These conclusions are not presented as a final word, for there is certainly an immense amount" of relevant primary literature waiting to be explored on the Reformed orthodox view of the kingdom(s). The evidence presented, however, is intended to stimulate both further reexamination of a significant but neglected aspect of the Reformed heritage and exploration of how a recovered and reinvigorated two kingdoms theology may contribute to current discussions in church-state relations, social ethics, and other fields. Some preliminary comments on the study of Reformed orthodoxy will be provid...See the full content of this document
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